r'kardo st'von & the rhapsodie collective

r’kardo st’von – Biography

r’kardo st’von grew up in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where his passion for music and performance was developed by an eclectic exposure to different genres from the early age of 8. In Trinidad, he worked and trained with music teachers Barbara Harris and Myrtle Cumberbatch, acclaimed musicologist Geraldine O’Connor, and Stella Award winning songwriter Sterling Gittens. A talented calypsonian as well, his witty and lyrically sound compositions captured the Republic Bank Calypso King Title on three occasions and he was also a finalist in Trinidad’s National Young Kings competition. Together with vocalist Shereen Mc Donald, r’kardo captured the hearts of Trinidad in the semi-finals of Scouting for Talent 1997 performing a unique duet version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Ngicuelela, I am singing’. This progression culminated with jazz performance and musical theatre training from New York’s Musical Theatre Works Tony nominated director Lonny Price, and actress/ singer Fredi Walker-Browne.
His theatrical credits include ‘Rolf’ in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘multiple characters’ in William F. Hoffman’s ‘As Is’ (with The Baggasse Co.) , ‘the Narrator’ in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, off Broadway credit in New York for the Interborough Repertory Theatre touring Company of ‘The Roots of Rap’ multiple characters in ‘Rent’ alumni Fredi Walker-Browne’s ‘KING LIVES!’ and the NETworks touring Company of ‘Rent’; acting credits for several television commercials and jingles while growing up in Trinidad.
r’kardo has performed at New York’s own Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Cami Hall, LIU’s Kumble Theatre, funk poetry spot The Chocolate Monkey, The Village Underground, Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar, and the infamous Brooklyn Moon Café with his jazz fusion band ‘the rhapsodie collective’.
r’kardo admires greatly, and is constantly inspired by the work of Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Rachelle Ferrelle, Will Downing, Ella Fitzgerald, and calypsonian David Michael Rudder.

QUOTES

‘when I listen to this young man, shades of will downing, teddy p. and larry graham shine through within his own unique style – he is a living cushion of sound.’
– angela martin-hinds, entertainment columnist, the trinidad guardian, 1999

‘a unique and powerful baritone vocal’
– lonny price, director, musical theatre works, NY, 2004

‘never have I heard a male jazz vocalist perform an alanis morissette song and make it sound like nina simone met will downing. AND use a steel pan for the orchestration. fabulous.’
– stacy weekes-codrington, entertainment and society columnist, the brooklyn news, 2007

‘st’von is a great song stylist, finding intriguing shadings in his lyrics’
- mark lyndersay, music and entertainment critic, trinidad guardian, 2010